There's a running joke not just amongst Kansas City Chiefs fans but NFL fans in general that every year is the Los Angeles Chargers' year. They always get hyped up in the offseason and then proceed to not win anything meaningful. That has continued to be the case but even to a higher degree ever since the Bolts landed Justin Herbert in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Herbert played incredibly well during his rookie year in 2020, winning Offensive Player of the Year honors and making it clear that the Chargers had another quarterback in their string of strong signal-callers (Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, and now Herbert).
Everyone truly thought the Chargers made the ultimate chess move when, in 2024, they hired Jim Harbaugh as their head coach. It was a good hire for sure and the Chargers have reached the playoffs in each of Harbaugh's two years on the job so far. That's about where the accolades stop though.
In Herbert's two playoff appearances with Harbaugh as his coach, he's looked downright dreadful. In the 2024 playoffs, a wild card tilt against the Texans in Houston, Herbert threw more interceptions in that game alone than he did all season. Earlier this year against the Patriots in Foxboro, Herbert was also lousy and the Chargers were one-and-done once again.
Chargers continue to fall flat on their faces
Well, this offseason, you can probably guess what happened. People were crowning the Chargers and thinking that Mike McDaniel joining that team as the offensive coordinator was finally going to put Herbert and the rest of the Bolts over the edge. It's only been one game, sure, but Week 1 did not make it look as though the Chargers were a force to be reckoned with. In fact, they looked pretty awful.
Nick Wright, famous for his Chiefs homerisms, appeared on The Dan Patrick Show earlier this week and kicked Herbert while the Bolts quarterback was already down. Chiefs fans might simply call it telling it like it is though.
"[Herbert]'s arguably the worst quarterback of the last quarter century in the NFL. And every year I have to hear about how this is the year and then, and how every year this Chargers team is different. And then the games are actually played and all the people who picked the Chargers to win the division, said Herbert could be an MVP candidate, said they're a sneaky Super Bowl contender are like, 'Actually the team's not good'."
Okay, again, let's reiteriate that we've watched one game of the 2026 season. But, at the same time, that one game is all we have to go off of for these 2026 teams and the Chargers looked comically bad in theirs. It was entertaining for Chiefs fans watching Herbert, Harbaugh, McDaniel, and the overhyped Chargers go up against a team that was thought to be in the running for the No. 1 pick and get curb stomped. Truly a blast to watch.
There is still a ton of football left to be played but it's nice to see others recognize that Herbert and the Chargers aren't, as we might have said in the 90s, all that and a bag of chips. Week 1 proved it.
At this point, people don't just want to see Herbert play well and get to the playoffs. He has to actually accomplish something this year, whether that's winning a playoff game or getting a major award, it's time for Herbert to cement himself as a truly elite quarterback. Otherwise, his name does not belong on any list with Patrick Mahomes. 'Nuff said.
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